Machine for making buttons



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

L. E. OH'AOE. MAGHINE FOR MAKING BUTTONS.

Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

WITNESSES.

A T TUBA E Y N. PETERS. Phom'mrm n hm, wasn'm tnu, 0A;

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. E. CHASE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BUTTONS.

Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

11 UH h P R vv, m w m m WITNESSES? NV PEYERS. vnuwum n her. Walkinglm i1 c.

llnrrnn stares arena @rrrcn.

LINCOLN CHACE, OF FREETOWN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS E. FULLER, OF TAUNTQN, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACl-HNE. FOR MAKHNG BUTTONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,997, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed September 2, 1886. Serial No. 212,483. No model.)

T all 20710727, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, LINCOLN E. CHAUE, of Freetown, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Machine for Making Buttons, of which the fol lowing isa specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

Machines for making buttons from pasteboard or like material are of two classes. In

one class the blanks are fed from a hopper, while in another class they are punched from aribbon or strip of sheet material whose width is a little more than the diameter of the blank. The object of my invention is to provide a machine in which a sheet of pasteboard can be D made into buttons, the sheet being fed so that a row of blanks is punched in one direction when the sheet is fed in a direction at right angles to the direction of the first feed, and a second row of blanks is punched, and so on, the sheet being fed at the end of every row, so as to bring that part of the sheet from which the next row is to be punched in proper relation with the punch.

My invention consists, mainly, in this compound or double feedthat is, a feed which feeds the sheet so that a row of blanksis cut in combination with a second feed, which operates only at the end of each row. The advantages of this feature of my machine will be obvious to all skilled in the art without further description.

Another feature of my invention relates to forming the eye; and it consists in a guideway so 3 5 flared that at its larger end it will receive the short piece of wire from which the eye is made, while it is so shaped that when this short piece of wire is forced sidewise through itthe wire will be bent into the form of the eye, there be ing in the guideway a central guiding-pin, around which the eye is bent. This device is simple in construction, positive in its action, and very durable.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a section on the line W' K, Fig. 1. Fig. 31's aside view looking at the left of Fig. 1. Fig. at is a section on line Y Z, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is adctaii illustrating the eye forming and carrying mechanism. Fig. 6 is-an end viewof the slide of the eye-forming mechanism. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail illustrating the button-forming dies and the eye-carrier. Fig. 8 illustrates the wire-feeding mechanism; Fig. 9, an end View of the dies and die-blocks.

A is the frame. N is the main shaft. 13 is the crank for actuating the punclrstock I and punch The rod E is reciprocated endwise by an eccentric on the main shaft, and actu ates the pawl-carrier c. The rod 1) is reciprocated endwise by the crank-pin c 011 the disk (1, fast to main shaft Rand this rod D isjointed at e to the slide (2, which,being slanted, as shown in Fig. 1, moves the dielolock F by means of the stem 9 and anti-friction rolls ff, the die-block F moving in and out as the slide d reciprocates endwise. The rod 0 is reciprocated endwise by an eccentric on the main shaft N, and actuates the wirefeed and the eye-forming mechanism, as is more fully described below.

The sheet 1? (of pasteboard, from which the blanks are punched) is fed sidewisc by the rod E actuating the pawl-carrier c, the pawl actuating its ratchet, which is fast to the shaft b, and this shaft 2) is geared by the gears (7, and e to shaft of, which has two thrcadsone right, the other left-formed upon it for about halfits length. This right-and-lelt screw on shaft a. engages with its swivel upon the bracket or. in a manner familiar to all mechanics, the result being that the bracket m is moved step by step from left to right and then from right to left the width of the sheet of pasteboard carried by the bracket m and by the rolls H H, assisted by the rollf. The motion of the bracket m insures the feeding of the sheet P sidewise, so that the punch makes a row of holes across the sheet P, and as the punch rises from the last hole in any crosswise row one of the pawlcarriers Z is brought into line with the end of lever g, so that when the end of lever 5 is thrown back by the motion of the rod K which is linked to lever g, as shown in Fig. 4.) the pawl-carrier Z is struck by the end of the lever g and the roll H is rotated by the ratchet of the pawl on pawl-carrier Z sufficiently to feed the sheet P forward far enough to cause the punch i at its next descent to make the first hole of the next ro w ICO that is to say, the sheet P is first fed intermittently sidewise until a row-of blanks has been punched from it by the action of the punch; then fed forward, ready for the next row of blanks to be punched out; next fed sidewise in the opposite\ direction and a second row of blanks punched out; then fed forward again, and soon, until the sheet P is used up. This 'is the main feature of my invention, and so far as I know is wholly new with me.

'Each blank as it is punched from the sheet P is carried directly by the punch i into the (lies 7c 7a, the blank being forced upon the prongs of the eye and molded by the descent of the punch. The eye is formed from a coil of wire, the end of which is passed between the jaws of the nipper i. This nipper i has one of its members rigidly attached to a slide, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the nipper can be reciprocated bodily a sufficient distance to feed the length of wire required to form the eye. The nipper is reciprocated and itsjaws opened and closed by means of the lever a and the pins 25 and a fast to it. The first part of the upward motion of the lever it forces the pin 1. against the movable member of the nipper i, and thereby forces the jaws together and nips the wire firmly. The further upward motion of lever it moves the slide to which the nipper is fast and feeds the wire. The first part of the backward motion of the lever it carries the pin it against the movable incur ber of the nipper i and thereby releases the wire from the nipper, while the continued backward motion of the lever it moves the nipper i and its slide back, ready for the next succeeding feed.

The wire is fed back of the guidepinj, and the proper length to form the eye is cut oft by the cutter 1', which is thrown forward by the slide B when near the end of its back-stroke. The forward stroke of the slide R carries the piece of wire m, Fig. 5, sidewise through the flaring guideway or eye-former n, which at its largest partis large enough to receive the piece ofwirem before it is bent, but which gradually grows smaller and is so curved that when the wire m is forced through it by the slide It the wire is bent to form the eye, (see Figs. 5 and 9,) and also forced into agroove of the proper shape to receive it, which groove is formed in one side of the eye carrier 20, which is brought into proper relation with the outlet of the eyeformer u as the slide R moves forward.

The slide R is actuated by the reciprocating rod 0 and its slide L by means of arm 0 and rod t, the arm 0, hung at 1), being vibrated by the slot 0 in slide L working upon the stud q, fast to arm 0. This slide L also serves to actuate lever in by means of the rock-shaft 1), whose slotted arm 0 acts directly upon lever n, the rock-shaft 19 being rocked by the link 3, which is jointed at one end to slide L and at the other end to disk M.

The eye-carrier w is actuated by the motion of the die-block F, a pin, Fig. 9, projecting from the die-block F and entering a spiral groove in the sleeve x, to which the carrier '20 is fast.

The operation is as follows: Thesheet P is inserted between the rolls H H and under the rollf, and is thereby held in place upon the bracket m, and also downupon the upper surface of the die-blocks F G. The front edge of the sheet P is adjusted with one corner under the punch '2 so that the first row of holes turns the sleeve of the eye-carrier and also moves it slightly endwise, thereby insuring the clearance of the button, for the button cannot stick in the moving die carried by the moving die block F, because the eye-carrier w prevents it, and the motion of the carrier on its axis will clear it from the'st-ationary die-block G in case it sticks in that die. button falls through the hole below the carrier w. punch rises clear of the sheet P the bracket in is fed sidewise a little more than the diameter ot' the blank, and as the punch descends the die-block F is moved forward, bringing the dies 7.: it together, and also bringing the carrier w into place with the eye, with its prongs projecting into the recess of the dies 7c 7;. The punch then completes its descent and forms another button. This operation is continued until the first row of blanks has been punched out across the sheet. The lengthwise feed of the sheet thentakes place (by the arm 9 striking one of the pawl-carriers Z) and the second row of blanks is punched out. After the last blank in the second row is punched out the arm 9 strikes the other pawl-carrier Z and feeds the sheet for ward tor the third row of blanks, and so on, the feed of the sheet being first for one row of blanks, then across the first feed for the first blank of the next row, then back to complete that row, and again across for the firstblank of the third row, and so on.

XVhat I claim as my invention is 1. In COlIflbillElblOl],bl2lCkBb m, shaft a, threadbutton punching and molding mechanism, and

The i (Seen in Figs. 4 and 9.) As soon as the double feed mechanism, each substantially sueh as is above described, one feed meehanism feeding the sheet between the puneli and forming-dies until a raw of blanks is punched out forced back upon its eye, and molded, and the other feed mechanism operating at the end of each row to feed the sheet flOllllfOW to row,

the whole combination arranged and operating, substantially as described, to form buttons directly from the sheet.

LINCOLN E. CHAGE.

- Witnesses:

J. BIAYNADIER, F l]. FULLER. 

